A Little Bit of Earth
by feriepwr301
Summary: Kenshin as he grows from boy to man.
1. A Little Bit of Earth

It was hot.

The sun was barely risen and already the earth was baking. The crops needed water more than ever, but the rain just wouldn't come. Ofukuro seemed more worried everyday, but Tou-chan just kept smiling. In the evening, before going to bed, he would persuade his mother to play the biwa for a few moments. Tou-chan claimed that it helped him have good dreams. Shinta had heard him telling Shin-nii that it helped Ofukuro more than anything else.

Rousing himself, Shinta lifted the water bucket from its place near the door, and skipped down to the river to bring up the water for the morning wash. It was his task as the youngest to do the small chores around the house, to help Ofukuro before they all had to head to the fields. Shinta was still too young to really be any use in the fields, so he was sent to the landowner's home to do chores there. Instead, he went to sit with the grandfather there and learn to read. He knew that mother and father had been able to send Shin-nii to learn to read and write before they lost their land. Now they were too poor to do the same for Shinta. He didn't mind. It was more fun to learn from Jii-chan anyway.

Reaching the stream, he bent over and scooped water into the wooden pail. When it was full, but not too heavy to lift, he swiftly set the bucket atop his head. Moving smoothly, he made back to his home before even Tou-chan had gotten up. He slipped off his sandals at the door and padded over to his mother. She smiled briefly at him, before telling him to wake his older brother.

"You know he won't get up unless you're the one to do it. You must have quite powerful fingers Shinta."

He only smiled before tiptoeing to the futon he shared with Shinichi. Pouncing on the older boy, he let loose a blood-curdling scream, and began tickling his older brother's ribs. Starting violently, Shinichi began giggling immediately.

"Agh. Stop stop," he gasped. Struggling to untangle himself from the light blanket and the onslaught of Shinta's fingers, he finally managed to throw the smaller boy off.

Laughing madly, Shinta danced over to his father, and prodded him with a toe.

"Tou-chan… tou-channnn," Shinta sing-songed, knowing his father was probably awake and waiting to pounce on him in turn. He was proved correct, as a hand grabbed his ankle and began tickling the underside of his foot.

Hopping in place, he yelled, "Shin-nii, he's got me. He's got meeee!"

Chuckling softly, Shinta's father slowly sat up and released the foot. Instead, he grabbed his son in a swift hug before hopping off the futon.

"Ohayo!" his father said cheerfully, to the room at large.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," they chorused in return.

When Tou-chan smiled, it was impossible not to smile in return. Moving so his father could stand, Shinta watched as the older man stood and stretched. The slowly brightening sunlight illuminated the deep auburn of his father's hair, so like his own. It made Shinta feel a little less strange when he saw that his father was just like him. Red hair and bright violet eyes. Tou-chan sometimes said that they had a gaijin somewhere in their bloodline, but Shinta wasn't really sure. Ofukuro liked to say that Tou-chan should be a merchant, he was so good at telling tales.

"Miso soup today, everyone. And some nice cool water before we start our day," his mother was saying as they finished neatening the small room.

"Shinta, you'll remember to bring more water and the onigiri at the hour of the horse, won't you?"

Nodding, he smiled with a mouth full of miso. "Don't worry, I won't forget this time!" Ofukuro had glared at him, quite hard, the last time he forgot to bring the rice and water. He had gotten absorbed in playing with Jii-chan, so he probably deserved the bit of punishment. As his family sipped down the soup and water, Shinta thought he detected the sound of the headman's voice.

"Ofukuro, can you hear that?" he queried his mother.

She tilted her head toward the open door. "Ee, he's calling us to start working. She set down her small earthenware cup on the tray that served as their table. Rising, she beckoned to her husband and oldest son. Collecting their hats, she tied the smaller onto Shinichi before doing the same for herself.

"Please rinse the bowls and cups, Shinta. Remember to dry them well before you go to Tashida-san's home." She waved quickly and stepped out the door.

His brother ran after her after gulping down another cup of water. Last to leave, as usual, Shinta rinsed the cups and bowls, and set them upside down to dry. Almost before he knew it, the sun had risen. Even though it was only the fourth month, the heat of the sun was burning the ground. He knew that if he stayed outside too much, his skin would start to burn like it had last summer. He and his brother had stayed down by the river all day catching fish to share with the other villagers. By the time they came back home, both of their faces were hot to the touch and starting to look suspiciously pink.

Shaking himself from the faintly disgusting memories of shedding for days afterwards and the scolding Ofukuro had given them, Shinta readied his hat and sandals and headed to the door. Taking a last quick look around, he declared himself satisfied with his work, and shut the door behind him. Hopping down to the ground, he set out at a run for Tashida-san's house. The largest in the village, it could easily hold all of the villagers, and had in times past according to Tou-chan. Several times, the river nearby had flooded wildly and nearly swept their houses away. During those times, Tashida-san had sheltered everyone in his home. Tou-chan thought that Tashida-san and his wife were some of the nicest people he had met, or at least that was what Shinta had heard him tell Ofukuro.

Though Tashida-san and his wife were rich enough to not have to work in the fields, they did so anyway, and let any of the small children who would have otherwise been alone, stay in their home until the end of the workday. Just now, there weren't too many children younger than Shinta, and of those there, Shinta was the only one old enough to learn to read and write. Jii-chan had him learning the kanji, and had told Tou-chan and Ofukuro, that he was doing splendidly.

Skidding to a stop at the door to the house, Shinta knocked lightly on the door before toeing off his sandals and announcing himself.

"Jii-chan, I'm here." Hearing a faint voice calling his name, Shinta came into the house and sped to the back of the house to the little room where Jii-chan stayed.

"Ah. Ohayo, Shinta-chan," the elderly man said, a wide smile brightening what would have otherwise been a somewhat stern countenance. "Come sit down, we've got a lot to learn today!" the older man smiling slightly. Shinta beamed back. Reading was a lot more fun than being in the fields.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Shinta looked up from his book, and jumped up in shock. Jii-chan glanced up as well, and shooed him off.<p>

"Don't worry Shinta, it's not too late. Run home fast, and I'm sure you'll be able to feed your family lunch just fine."

Shinta bowed hastily, and hurried to the front door. Gah, Ofukuro would be mad again. Last time, she had ranted nearly all night how important it was that he not forget to do his duties before running off to have fun. When he'd tried to say that he'd been reading not throwing rocks in the river or something silly, his mother had given him a sharp glare. Running even faster at the memory of his mother's displeasure, Shinta hastily gathered the water jug and the small sachet holding the onigiri. Gathering the food and shoving his feet back into his sandals, he hastily shut the door and walked quickly to the fields.

He came upon his father quickly. "Ah, there you are Shinta. Come give me the water, I'll help you carry it."

Pleased his father didn't seem to be too upset, Shita smiled up at him and trotted along at his side. Coming to a halt under the trees at the very western edge of the field, Shinta spied his mother and older brother reclining in the scant shade offered by the trees.

He waved, and shouted, "Here's lunch!"

Dropping to his knees next to his brother, Shinta laid the onigiri on the cloth serving as their table. As his father sat down, Shinta breathed a sigh of contentment, he didn't want things to ever change.

"Itadakimasu!" the family cried as one and quickly grabbed the food in front of them.

* * *

><p>Leaning back his belly full of rice, Shinta stared up at the clouds. Closing his eyes, he decided a little nap would be in order. His family had finished eating quickly today, even though his parents tried to maintain good manners during meals, a testament to how hot and backbreaking the work was. Feeling himself fall asleep, he succumbed to soporific effects of a full stomach.<p>

Minutes later, Shinta was awakened with an intense feeling of unease. He snapped upright, and felt more than saw the quelling look his older brother gave him.

Glancing up at Shin-nii, Shinta whispered, "What's going nii-chan? Why is everyone so tense?"

"Hush," his brother replied. A sharp accent gave the word more force than Shinta was used to from his brother. He looked over at his father and mother. Tou-chan was not smiling, which was strange but not necessarily a bad thing, but his mother's face looked thunderous. Though his parents and few others of the villagers were standing several feet away, if he concentrated, Shinta could just barely catch what was being said.

"We've been in this village since our oldest boy was born, and we've never given any trouble. What is this really all about?" Tou-chan was speaking a low, serious voice, Shinta had never heard. Ofukuro was standing right next to him, and he had never seen her look so angry.

"Keiichiro-san, our crops are dying, and we're hearing all of these strange rumors. People withering away and dying for no reason at all. They're saying that we're being punished, being poisoned." Shinta glimpsed the face of Yuutaro's father, the owner of the voice.

Before his father could respond, the headman came over. "What is all this? The lunch hour is nearly gone, and all of you are clumped over here."

Looking from one face to another, the force of his authority caused more than one head to bow or look away.

"Back to work everyone." The headman shooed the other villagers away, and turned back to Shinta's father with a small grimace. "I knew that you'd had some rough treatment recently, but I didn't know it had gotten this bad, Keiichiro-san. I apologize, and I'll try to straighten out some of the troublemakers at the meeting tonight. " Sighing softly, he continued, "They all know how mach we all owe you, and they just need to be reminded of it."

Nodding slightly, to Ofukuro, the older man moved off.

"Come here both of you," Tou-chan beckoned Shinta and his brother closer.

"I know that you both were listening, but I want you both to know that I expect this all to be resolved at the meeting tonight. The headman will ease the other's worries. Let's work hard!" Tou-chan smiled at them and as he did, he felt Ofukuro's tension bleed away.

"Yosh!" Shinta cried, smiling happily.


	2. A Disturbance in the Land

The day was coming to a close. Shinta watched the reflection of the setting sun in the water of the river. If he looked closely, he could see little fish investigating his toes immersed in the water. He thought back to earlier that day. Seeing his parents so upset and tense had confused him in turn. He wished he'd had better hearing, so he could have understood what was happening.

The other villagers seemed to be angry with his father and mother, but Shinta couldn't understand why. Perhaps, it was what the other children teased him about, his red hair. It was a source of friction for himself and his older brother. For the most part, the other children seemed content to ignore it. But when they were bored or tired, then the teasing started. He'd nearly gotten into a fight with some of the older boys one day after hearing them call his father a demon.

Shaking himself slightly, he tried to redirect his thoughts. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he decided to forget about it for the time being. After all, Ofukuro was always saying how it did no good to worry about things in the past.

"Learn and grow," Shinta said the words to himself, in an echo of the same words his mother had said to him after some altercation between he and the other children.

Tilting his head back, Shinta decided it was time go home. Shaking his feet out slightly, he gathered his sandals and fishing pole. He hadn't been able to catch any fish for the evening meal. He supposed they would be having barley rice again. All of the vegetables they had tried to grow in had already withered in the blistering heat.

While deep in his thoughts, his feet had carried him unerringly home. Smiling suddenly, Shinta was very glad to be home, even if there wasn't much to eat.

"Tadaima," he called out brightly, sliding the shoji open. His father and brother looked up briefly to smile at him. His mother said without turning from the fire, "Okaerinasai. Were you able to catch anything Shinta?"

"No, I wasn't. They just didn't want to be caught today," Shinta sighed pushing his hair off his neck. Even though he was quite hungry, he was glad not to have caught any fish. Then they would have had to cook it, and that would have made the small house even warmer.

"Ofukuro, will it ever get cooler?" Shinta said, only a slight whining tone to his voice as he flopped down on the floor near his brother. Shin-nii poked him in the side before replying to the question.

"Of course it will cool off. Just not yet. Besides it's not like you're out in the sun everyday. You're playing with jii-chan!" Shinichi was not complaining. He knew that Shinta was much too small to be any real use. Nonetheless, Shinta's expression grew indignant.

"I'd help if I could!" he all but shouted. Glancing at his father, Shinta lowered his voice, "Besides, I'm not playing. I'm learning to read and write, just like you. Nyah." Satisfied with his retort, Shinta scooted over to his father.

"Tou-chan do you want to see my words?" he asked quietly. He knew his father was tired, but he was not disappointed by his father's response.

"Of course, I would love to see them. However, let's wash and then eat. After that we have the meeting to attend, and then I will happy to look at what you have learned today, Shinta." Tou-chan smiled over at him, encouragingly.

Seeing that her family had finished rinsing their hands, Shinta's mother brought the rice bowls to the table. Smiling around her husband and son, she said, "Shall we start?"

A chorus of "Itadakimasu" greeted her.

* * *

><p>"Blow out the candles, Shinichi!" he heard his mother saying. Shinta had a wonderful view of the moon and stars from where he sat atop his father's shoulders. Tou-chan rarely carried him this way, but Shinta had insisted this time. He felt safer up there.<p>

Tou-chan squeezed his ankles tight for just a moment, almost as if he knew what Shinta was thinking. Perhaps he did, Tou-chan was quite good at judging when people were feeling bad. Or lying. Or had broken something they weren't supposed to break. Although, Shinta loved his father, he didn't appreciate some of his more irritating talents.

"Let's walk quickly everyone, we don't want to be the last to arrive." Tou-chan said waiting until his wife and Shinichi were walking alongside him. They started to walk quickly at his urging.

On arriving at the headman's house, his father bent so Shinta could slide down his back. He pushed him to knock on the door.

The door slid open swiftly at the first knock.

"Ah, there you are. Welcome, welcome. Not too many have arrived yet. Shall I pour you some tea?" The headman's wife, Tashida Otsune, always spoke quickly and tonight was no exception. Her graying hair tucked into a simple style gave her an air similar to that of a proprietress of an inn.

Shinta bowed to her as he had been taught, when he saw his mother and father do the same.

"Tashida-san, thank you for allowing us into your home. Shall we join the others?" Shinta's father said smoothly.

"Of course, Keiichiro-san. The men have gathered in the main room." Otsune smiled at him and gave a slight bow as he and Shinichi walked toward the room indicated.

Bowing again to Shinta's mother, Otsune spoke again, "Well, shall we join the other women, Teiko-chan?"

His mother smiled and nodded slightly. Pushing Shinta in front of her, she and Shinta followed the older woman. In the kitchen, the women of the village had gathered to have a slightly different from meeting than the one their men were having. Shinta sighed. They'd probably be laughing and making jokes, and he would have no idea what they were talking about. He was always bored at the village gatherings. The other children still young enough to stay with their mothers were too young to play with. He wasn't old enough to go with Shin-nii and Tou-chan.

Seeing his mother's eyes weren't on him, Shinta sidled over to the door leading the rest of the house. Still escaping notice, Shinta slid the door slowly open and quickly shut it once out in the hallway. He'd go see Jii-chan. Or if Jii-chan were at the meeting, he'd go find of the books and read.

Plan set, he started to walk down the hallways, when the sound of raised voices caught his attention. He'd heard Yuutaro's father speaking loudly, just like during the lunch hour. Wanting to hear what was going on, Shinta moved closer to the room.

"At this rate, the crops will die. We will have no rice to give as our tax to the daimyo, much less enough left to store or sell. Our vegetables have died, the animals are suffering from the heat, and now these reports of the mysterious sickness." Yuutaro's father, Sadasuke, sat back on his heels with a thump, angry face surveying the other equally concerned faces around him. He glared up at the headman, "That's why I want to know why Keiichiro-san isn't doing anything. Surely, someone with all his great knowledge knows something."

Murmurs filled the room, as the men whispered amongst themselves. Heads started to nod. The voices grew louder, all of them with the same question in mind.

Tashida, the headman, rubbed his knees contemplatively before moving to sit closer to Sadasuke.

"I know that the times are getting rougher for all of us. But we must continue to do our part to be sure that our village at least, remains peaceful. We do not want our Lord to bring someone to enforce peace." Looking away from the younger man, and trying to catch the eye of the other men there, he raised and hardened his voice, "We will all have to reach deep into our reserves to make this work next week. We must meet the quota."

He glanced quickly at Shinta's father, "I'm sure we will all do our part, if the illness does come, to make sure that it does not take too many of our own. Please do not begin to doubt and blame each other." The tension in the room did not dissipate at his words. Instead, low grumbles seemed to issue forth from the highly agitated gathering. Tashida sighed slightly before deciding to speak more directly.

"Keiichiro-san, can you tell me what you think the sickness could be?" There was a hush after the question was spoken.

Keiichiro straightened slightly on his cushion, "I have heard of something of it's like before. They called it cholera. At the time, those who fell to it were in poor health prior to contracting the disease. However, I noticed that those with the disease had very little clean water or enough food. They were generally very poor. " He finished knowing that he had only scared his fellows more. Taking an imperceptible breath, he continued, "It is very dangerous, but it can be combated. There have been survivors. Though weak initially, they can recover."

Cholera, Shinta mused, the word very unfamiliar. He wondered how Tou-chan had been able to tell what those other villagers were sick with. Perhaps before coming to the village, Tou-chan had once been a doctor, like Shin-nii sometimes told him. He'd thought the stories were just that, stories. Perhaps he was wrong.

Caught in his imaginings, Shinta did not become aware until much too late that his mother was standing beside him.

* * *

><p>The day for tax collection dawned hot and bright. An almost visible haze seemed to rise from the ground and shimmered there, worsening the heat. The sun beat down from overhead mercilessly. It was not an auspicious beginning to what was sure to be a stressful day.<p>

Shinta had not been allowed to join his father and the other village men as they stood outside the headman's home awaiting their overlords. He stood just inside the shoji, peering at the group of villagers. He heard hoof beats. His mother must have heard them as well for she stood from her position near the window and set down the gi she was mending. She joined him in his spying at the door, and sighed slightly.

Outside, his father and the others knelt on the ground to bow to the approaching samurai.

Dismounting from their horses, the clerks swiftly set up a pavilion for their lord sit under. When completed, the headman was allowed to approach. He bowed and knelt. Shinta could not hear what was being said, but it became apparent that whatever was being said was not what the samurai wanted to hear. He barked something, and the headman rose again and bowed. Tashida-san went to speak with the village men. After a moment they separated to gather the rice barrels and started to load them into the waiting wagon. Within the space of a few minutes, they had completed the task and were bowing before the samurai again. The samurai stood and started to address the men. As he spoke, his clerks were quickly disassembling the pavilion and field hair. The village men bowed once more as the samurai finished speaking.

He walked off, and Shinta felt his mother move away from the door. "You can go outside now if you like, Shinta," she called over her shoulder. Shinta grinned, he'd been wanting to find Shin-nii all morning. The older boy had escaped out the door to go down to the river with some of the older children that morning.

Running down to the river's edge, he heard the familiar sounds of his brother's voice. They were skipping rocks and counting the bounces. As he approached the other children, there was always the slightly hesitation before anyone greeted him. Unfortunately, one of the older boys saw Shinta first.

"Oi, demon boy. Have the samurai left yet?" he asked. Genbei was one of Shinta's more persistent tormentors. Shinta bristled slightly, and was about to open his mouth to answer when his brother spoke first.

"Don't call him that." His brother's voice was the same as it had been last week. Sharp and cold.

"Hoho. Why shouldn't I? My father says that's what he must be, and your father too. Either a demon or a foreigner. Perhaps your father's mother slept with one of those who came on the black ships, eh?" Genbei taunted slyly.

The other children had started to gather around, and there was a hiss of indrawn breath when they heard the insult. Shinichi's face reddened and he stepped closer to the other boy. Genbei took a step closer as well, and gave Shinichi a little push.

Shinichi said, "Take it back now."

"I don't think I will," the other replied and gave him another push. "What are you going to do about it?" He pushed him again, slightly harder.

The crowd seemed to hold its breath, when Shinichi burst into action. He slammed his fist, still holding small rock, into Genbei's face. Kicking the older boy in the side, he knocked him to the ground. Shinichi leapt on him and started punching.

The crowd of children howled with glee, but Shinta was growing more upset. Tou-chan had told them never to start a fight, and Shinichi had been the one to hit Genbei. As his worry grew, he realized that he hadn't been paying attention. Genbei had the upper hand and was pummeling his brother.

Indecision froze him for a moment, before Shinta picked up a stick lying near his feet and went to hit Genbei with it. He was not going to let his brother be hurt.

Eventually, his pounding on Genbei distracted the older boy enough that he rolled away from the blows and laid breathing heavily on the ground.

"You little turd. I'll be telling my father about this." He hissed the words.

Seeing that the fight was over, the other children moved off, gossiping between themselves. Shinta shuffled away from the other boy and turned to his brother. He was already dreading returning home.

He knelt beside his brother, "Shin-nii are you alright?"

"Aa. I'm all right Shinta. Thanks for helping me." Already Shinta could see that his brother's eyes were swelling shut and his mouth seemed to be full of blood. Shinta grabbed his brother's hands and pulled him to his feet.

"Let's go home Shin-nii.

"Aa."

* * *

><p>Their parents were waiting outside the door when the two brothers trudged up to the house. Both of their faces were blank.<p>

Once inside, his mother took Shinichi's arm and led him to the water bucket. His father coughed slightly, and Shinta quickly dragged his eyes to meet his father's.

"Start from the beginning Shinta-chan, and tell me what happened by the river this afternoon. Genbei-kun's father has already been to talk to me about the fight. I want to hear your side of the story."

When he was done telling the whole story, his father spoke again to both of them.

"I am disappointed that Genbei goaded you into hitting him, Shinichi, however, I cannot fault you for becoming angry," his voice was low and serious like it had been that day in the fields. "In the days to come you will be placed under even more stress. You must not lose your tempers. The other children and their parents will be blaming you and us for everything going wrong. They'll tell you that it's our fault that the Lord is demanding monetary payment. That's it our fault the drought has come. That it's our fault that other villages are becoming ill."

"You must not retaliate. We are living here on the goodwill of our neighbors and must strive not to displease them."

Tou-chan grinned suddenly, and Shinta felt some of the nervous fluttering in his stomach lessen.

"That doesn't mean I won't be giving Genbei-kun and his father a little talk about beating up on my sons, however." He ruffled Shinta's hair a bit and motioned him toward the folded futons.

"Lay those out and prepare for bed, Shinta. Your mother and I will take care of Shinichi."

"Hai, Tou-chan," Shinta smiled briefly, and moved to shake out the futons.

A few minutes later he was wrapped in his blanket, thinking about the samurai he had seen earlier that day.

He mused that samurai did not seem much like he had imagined. His kimono and hakama were of better quality than his own clothes, but the colors were sober green and brown, must like his own. He found his mind dwelling on the swords tucked into the e samurai's obi. His father said they were called the daisho. Lost in his own fancy, Shinta almost missed his mother's whispered goodnight from across the room.

"Oyasuminasai," Shinta responded sleepily.


	3. Ripples Spreading Outward

Shinta dipped his water bucket into the river as quickly as he could. His father was at the village headman's house, and he wanted to hear what was going on. But before that, Ofukuro had told him to finish his chores.

Running back to the house, bright sparkles of water splashed his feet. He was going too fast, but he didn't want to stop. _Hurry, hurry_, the little chant kept his feet moving fast. At the door to his house, he slid open the shoji and set down the bucket.

"Ofukuro! I've got the water! I'm going to go see Tou-chan now." That done, he slid the door shut and sped toward the headman's house. Not being far, it took him only scant moments to arrive.

He slid off his sandals and slid the shoji open quietly. He could hear voices coming from the back of the house and padded toward the sound.

Kneeling down in front of the room where the villagers were gathered, he bent his head to peek around the edge of the open door. His father stood at the front of the room, gesturing at the bucket set on the floor in front of him.

"In other parts of the country, I have heard of a disease that strikes in a similar manner. As I told you at the meeting several weeks ago, I noted then that the victims of the disease were generally poor and had only dirty water to drink from. We are fortunate to have a river so close to the village, but as clean as it looks we must still boil it before we can use it."

Questions broke out at his words. Tashida-san stood and addressed the crown, "Maa, maa. Let Keiichiro-kun finish." Gesturing to the younger man, he nodded for him to continue.

"Boiling the water will help cleanse the water. After all, we heat the water we bathe in, why should we not do the same for the water we drink and use in our food?" He smiled a bit at the end of the sentence, and nodded thoughtfully, as he saw this met with the approval of his audience.

Glancing at the door, Keiichiro spied his youngest son watching the gathering curiously. His smile grew a bit. Shinta reminded of nothing so much as a playful kitten, curious about the world and determined to explore, dangers be damned. He didn't really mind. So long as Shinta did not find himself stuck in a tree somewhere, he encouraged his son to explore the world around him.

Bowing to Tashida and the other men, Keiichiro excused himself and walked toward the boy. Shinta smiled up at him brightly.

"What is it called again, Tou-chan? The illness that the other villages have?"

"Cho-le-ra," he replied slowly enunciating the word. He huffed a quiet laugh as he saw his son repeat the word to himself several times before looking up again.

"Is the meeting over Tou-chan?"

"Aa. Let's go home."

ランダム漢字 心太 剣心 信一 ランダム漢字

Several days later, the headman's wife, Otsune, interrupted Shinta's lesson with Jii-chan.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Otou-sama," she said with none of her usually energy, "but I think I must borrow Shinta for a little while."

Shinta glanced at Jii-chan and seeing his thoughtful nod, Shinta stood to bow and followed Otsune out of the room.

"Shinta, I want you to go find your father. Tell him that Reiko-chan is looking unwell, and that I would like him to look at her." Her lips were tight as she guided him to the door. Her cheerful demeanor was blanketed by whatever was wrong with Reiko, and Shinta felt the waves of tension beating at him, despite not truly understanding what was happening.

"Hai," he replied before stepping into his sandals and hopping down the stair to the ground.

He knew his father and brother would be out in the east end of the fields today where there was little shade. Ofukuro had stayed home that morning complaining that she felt like she had sun-sickness, so Shin-nii and Tou-chan had chosen to do the hard work while she was resting.

Running along the perimeter, he came upon them faster than he would have thought. Racing over to his father, he came to a sudden stop breathing hard.

"Otsune-san asked me to come get you," he said faintly. Straightening, he repeated the rest of the message.

His father squeezed his arm gently and laid down his shovel. He waved his older brother over, and started to walk toward the village. Shading his eyes, he could see his father begin to run.

Turning toward his older brother, Shinta sighed a little bit, still unsure of what was happening.

"Shinta, why is Tou-chan going back to the village so early? Is something wrong with Ofukuro?" his voice hurried a little at the end, and Shinta started a bit.

"Iie! Otsune-san asked to see him. She said something was wrong with Reiko." He felt strange saying it. Was it that weird cholera that had the villagers so worried, or had Reiko hurt herself?

"Ah, so," his brother replied before turning thoughtful eyes on him.

"You probably shouldn't go back for lessons for now. Just go home and check on Ofukuro anyway," Shinichi, still worried but not quite so much.

Shinta frowned, "I don't need to go home. I can help."

Seeing that the frown was not one of an impending tantrum, Shinichi smiled. "I know that you can, but I don't want both you and Ofukuro getting sun-sickness. So go."

He went.

ランダム漢字 心太 剣心 信一 ランダム漢字

By the time he arrived, he could tell that his father had dropped by the house before going to see Reiko.

"Tadaima," he called out stepping through the open door way. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the house, Shinta found that his mother was up and hurriedly looking through baskets.

She turned to him, distractedly, and motioned for him to come closer.

"Your father told me he was going to see that little girl, Reiko-chan. Do you know if it is anything serious? Will he need his box?"

"I don't know Ofukuro. Otsune-san didn't say what was wrong, she just asked me to find Tou-chan."

Sighing, his mother stopped digging through the baskets and sat back on her heels. From her side, Shinta saw her breathe out harshly and straighten her shoulders.

"Shinta, I'd like you to stay here for the rest of the day. You may go outside, but don't wander away. I'm going to see if Otsune-san needs any help," she smiled at him and patted his hair before rising. "Why don't you wash the rice for me and set it to boil?"

He nodded, watching her walk toward the door.

Setting to work, it was several hours later when his brother arrived. Shinichi came in slowly, his back bent and dirt clinging to his clothes. He poured himself some water and drank it in one gulp.

"Did Tou-chan come back yet?" he asked, as he sat slowly. He leaned against the wall tiredly and closed his eyes.

"Not yet, he replied, but as he spoke he saw the door slide back.

His parents walked through, and Shinta felt their worry like a hand clenching around his heart. They seemed normal, but he knew that something was wrong. As he watched them, his mother crossed the room to sit next to Shin-nii and hugged him around the shoulders.

"Thank you for cooking the rice, Shinta. After your brother washes, we'll start our meal," she said softly. She patted Shinichi on the arm, and he rose obediently to go outside.

When they were all gathered to eat, his father started to speak.

"For the next few days, you should stay at home Shinta. Reiko-chan is very sick, and I don't think Jii-chan will have the time to have lessons," Keiichiro frowned before continuing, "I will be trying to help Reiko-chan get better, but it looks very serious."

Shinta bowed his head slightly, and looked sideways at his mother. She was always better to look at when Tou-chan was being mysterious. Her forehead was wrinkled, the way it got when Shin-nii broke his arm last year. It meant she was really worried. Sighing to himself, he responded to his father, "Hai, Tou-chan. I'll help Ofukuro here at home."

"Good, good. Now-," the rest of his sentence was cut off by a sudden call from outside.

"Keiichiro-san! Please come out!"

Shinta's father stood and pulled the door open with a snap.

The rest of the family moved as one to stand just inside the door. Shinta could just hear what the other man was saying.

"Please, she's been sick all afternoon. She keeps begging for water, but the more we give her, the sicker she is."

Turning to his wife, Keiichiro called out, "Teiko! Find my box. I need the Dai-kenchu-to. I'll be going ahead with Tadaaki-san. Just send Shinichi with the box."

Before he was finished speaking, Ofukuro hurried back inside to the baskets abandoned earlier that day. Finding the one needed quickly, she hauled off the cover and dumped out the contents. Tou-chan's box wasn't really one. It looked more like the satchels Shinta had spied the clerks carrying when they came to collect the taxes.

He peered over her shoulder as she opened the satchel, curious to see what was inside. The contents surprised him. Scissors with their blades wrapped in silk, what looked like a pack of silver needles and little jars of what smelled like herbs. Opening his mouth to ask a question, he quickly shut it as his mother pushed herself to her feet and handed the bag off to Shinichi.

"Go on now and give this to your father. Don't dally there when you're done. Come right back home," she ordered. Following his brother to the door, he watched as his figure fade into the darkness.

"Shinta come inside and finish eating," Ofukuro said from behind him. Squeezing his shoulders lightly, they walked together to the table.


	4. Beginnings

He felt as though he could hear the sounds of his mother begging for water even from where he sat next to the river. She was sick, his father said, and they had to be careful with how much water they gave her. It was more important that she ate. No matter how hard they tried, none of the food would help her. His mother grew thinner and more ill every day.

That morning he'd caught his brother crying. When Shinta had opened his mouth to speak, his brother told him to go outside. Wiping his tears away hastily, his older brother had gone to sit by their mother's side. His mother wasn't the only person fallen ill, however. In two weeks since Otsune-san had sent him to find his father, many of the children and the elders had started to sicken. At first, when the children had started to complain, their families had hoped that it was a simple illness. Easily gotten rid of with rest and enough water to drink. The unrelenting heat had been making everyone a bit ill. However, the water seemed to make the children worse. From there it had spread insidiously.

One by one, the children had started to die. Only last night, Yuutaro had fallen asleep and not awakened the next morning. Shinta knew that it was only the fact that his own mother had been viciously stricken with the disease that had kept Yuutaro's father from accusing Tou-chan of not doing enough to save his son.

Tou-chan said that people were often unreasonable when they were hurt. Shinta felt the tears prickling at his eyes, when he felt a shadow move over him. Tilting his head upward, he saw the outline of his father's face over him. Squinting against the bright light, "Tou-chan?" he asked.

His father slowly lowered himself to the ground beside him and draped an arm over his shoulders. Squeezing Shinta's shoulders slightly, he was silent. The quiet comfort of his presence smoothed away the unreasonably urgent prickling in his eyes, and Shinta breathed a small sigh of relief. They sat in silence for a few minutes watching and listening to the river.

"Tou-chan... is Ofukuro going to get better?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Tou-chan kept silent for another moment and then replied, "Shinta only the gods know when a person will leave this earth. All we can do is our best."

* * *

><p>The sun was low in the sky by the time Shinta and his father made it back to their house. Only a bit of candlelight flickering on the ground outside the window betrayed that anyone was inside. But Shinta could hear voices murmuring on the wind that had begun to blow. It had been two days since his mother had last spoken, she was too weak to do much more than lay with her eyes closed. Hoping she was awake, Shinta ran toward the door and yanked it open. The report made his brother look up sharply. His father hurried up and stepped past him, paused in the doorway.<p>

Shinichi rose, "Tou-chan, I just wanted to hear her voice. I know I should've been trying to get the dinner ready..."

"Don't worry, you've done well looking after your Mother. Shinta can help me get the food ready", Tou-chan glanced over and Shinta finally slid the door closed and came closer. Patting Shin-nii on the shoulder, he walked over to the candle flickering on the table and moved around the room, lighting the others. By the time he was done, the room was full of warm light, the shadows unable to intrude.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Shinta woke abruptly. The candles had all gone out, and even though his body was telling him it was morning, it still looked like night outside. He wondered what had wakened him and quickly realized that wetness was creeping along his futon. Patting himself, Shinta realized that he was dry, and frowned in confusion. He pushed the covers away and came onto his knees. Leaning over he poked his brother.<p>

Shinichi sighed, but didn't move.

"Shin-nii, wake up, you're wetting the bed," Shinta whispered. Shaking his brother's shoulder harder still didn't garner a response, and Shinta decided to get up and find a candle.

Striking the match, he lit the candle and brought it over to where his brother lay. His face was pale and sweaty. Shinta stared for a moment, as though he were growing roots, he couldn't move. In the next moment, he set down the candle and went to the back corner where his father lay.

"Tou-chan, wake up. There's something wrong with Shin-nii," Shinta said. Although it took him longer than he normally would, Tou-chan sat up and scrubbed a hand over his eyes for a few moments.

"Alright, Shinta. Light some candles for me, please. And then get some of the boiled water for your mother to drink."

"Hai", Shinta stood up quickly, lighting the candles and opening one of the windows, before he went to the bucket to get the water for his mother. Slowly approaching her so the water wouldn't spill, he knelt by her head and placed the cup down gently.

"Ofukuro", he called out. Shinta touched her shoulder where it peeked above the blanket. She didn't stir. He called her name again and shook her shoulder hard. Her face was still and Shinta realized that she wasn't moving. He scrambled back and knocked over the cup of water. It spread wetting the pillow and the blanket. His mother still didn't stir. Shinta huddled near the wall silently, until the fluttering of the candle in the breeze stole his attention away from his mother's face. Looking up, he saw that it had started to rain outside. He stared outside, mesmerized, until his father came over.

"Shinta, your brother is quite ill, I think you..." he stopped, his words arrested by the look on his son's face. Looking down he paused only a moment to glance at his wife's face before stepping around her futon and scooping Shinta off the floor.

"Come along, Shinta. We have some places we need to visit," he said, moving quickly about the room, collecting their hats and sandals. Setting Shinta down by the door, Tou-chan smiled wanly at him and stoked his hair. Tying on Shinta's hat and his own, he pushed Shinta out the door first.

Looking inside for only a brief moment, he sighed and slid the door shut.

* * *

><p>In the days since his father had brought him to stay with Ostune-san and the village chief, Shinta had hardly seen his father. Occasionally, he glimpsed a wisp of red hair as it disappeared into some villager's house, but no more than a glimpse was had. More of the villagers were falling ill every day, until it seemed only a handful of people were lucky enough to not be sick.<p>

This morning, Shinta had thought he'd heard his father's voice echoing through the mostly empty house and had rushed outside.

"Shinta! Come inside at once", Otsune scolded him sharply, but Shinta stood still, arrested by the changes in the village before him. Where once had stood at least twenty houses, now there were only eight. The others were knocked to the ground into piles of stones and debris.

Turning to Otsune-san, Shinta asked, "What happened? Where did everyone go?"

"Come inside", she said again, coming out to pull him in by an arm. She slid the door shut firmly and kneeled down to look at him directly.

"They've all taken ill, Shinta, and the illness was in their houses too", she paused and spoke quieter, "they're ill and must be prepared for their funerals."

Shinta looked at the ground, "Ofukuro and Shin-nii too?"

Otsune sighed before answering, "Yes."


End file.
